Cavetown’s newest EP, Little Vice, continues the band’s sad but comforting discography.
The first song on the EP, “Obvious,” is a continuation of Cavetown’s explorations of mental health. The song is a ballad that discusses feeling disconnected to your personality and wondering if anyone notices. Despite the heavy themes, the song remains catchy.
The song layers the tracks nicely to create a feeling of isolation while other things are going on, creating a beautifully sad feeling of being alone.
The next track is called “Alone,” and its lyrics bring a similar message. However, this song does not maintain the same enjoyability. There is a frequent white noise sound that overpowers the music and just sounds like strong winds in a microphone. It is unpleasant and jarring each time.
The following track, “Let Them Know They’re on Your Mind,” redeems the shortcomings of the previous song. It is a tuning point in the album. It goes from discussing loneliness to reaching out to others. While the people the speaker is thinking of might not be good for him, he is reaching back out for connection instead of simply isolating.
This song includes more instruments and they work well with the message of the song. It sounds more energetic, matching the outgoing nature of the speaker in the song.
“The Back of the Moon” follows this energetic song with a slowed-down song that is nearly void of lyrics. It is a surreal ballad about seeing things that are not meant to be seen, including “the back of the moon,” and it reflects a feeling of strong depression.
The last song on the EP is “Glacier Meadow,” and it features an artist called Field Medic. This song ends the EP with a message of hope and new love with its repetition of “I decided to turn my affection towards you.”
It is a new beginning, moving out of the loneliness of the album and into a new love.
